Loading apparatus



Sept. 9, 1947. 1.. F. ARNETT 2,427,114 LOADING APPARATUS Filed ma sj1945 2 Sheets-Sheet i Inventor- LOTEN FLOYD ARNET'I @Maai'ia. M

SeP-t' 1947- L. F. A RNETT 2,427,114

LOADING APPARATUS Filed May 8, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet Inventor Lo'ran FLoyoARNETT Patented Sept. 9, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOADINGAPPARATUS Loten Floyd Arnett, Ontario, Calif.

Application May 8, 1945, Serial No. 592,576

2 Claims.

My invention relates to loading apparatus, and more particularly toimprovements in so-called drag line conveyors such as are used inloading grain, and the like, from piles of the same onto trucks, railwaycars, or other conveyances, or unloading such material from conveyances,the primary object in View being to provide an efficient, simplyconstructed apparatus of the type indicated which is easy to move fromplace to place and adapted for lengthening or shortening and also forVertical adjustment to meet different operating requirements.

Other and subordinate objects, also comprehended by my invention,together with the precise nature of my improvements, and the manifoldadvantages thereof, will be readily understood when the succeedingdescription and claims are read with reference to the drawingsaccompanying and forming part of this specification.

In. said drawings:

Figure 1 is a View in side elevation, partly broken away, of my improvedloading apparatus in a preferred embodiment thereof,

Figure 2 is a view in rear elevation,

Figure 3 is a view in vertical transverse section taken on the line 3-3of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a View partly in elevation and partly in sectionillustrating the manner in which the pusher blades are connected to theconveyor chain,

Figure 5 is a view in perspective of one of the locking pins, and

Figure 6 is a View in transverse section taken on the line 66 of Figure1 and drawn to an enlarged scale,

Figure '7 is a fragmentary view in perspective illustrating one of theindependent wheel mountings with the wheel omitted to avoid confusingthe parts.

Reference bein had to the drawings by numerals, my improved loadingapparatus, as illustrated, comprises an elongated, rectangular frame lincluding pairs of opposed side channel bars 2, 3, t, with channeledsides facing, in each pair. The pairs of side bars 3, 4 succeeding thepair 2 located at front, discharge end of the apparatus are slidablyfitted in preceding pairs for extension and retraction to lengthen orshorten the overall length of the frame I. The bars 2, 3, 4, as the casemay be, of each pair are suitably connected together, parallel, by crossbars 5, as shown in Figure 6. The pairs of side bars 2, 3, 4 are adaptedto be locked together in extended, or retracted, positions by means oflongitudinally spaced keyhole-shaped apertures 6 therein adapted to beregistered, in each pair, with selected ones in the preceding pair withlocking pins I inserted in the registering apertures. The locking pins 1are of rod-like form with a diametrical key lug 8 on one end, and anoverbalancing larger lug 9 on the other end diametrically opposite thekey lug B. Said pins 1 are inserted through pairs of registeringapertures 6 with the larger lug 9 uppermost, in which position the endwith the key lug 8 thereon will pass through said pairs of apertures B.When the key lug 8 has passed through said apertures 6, the pin may bereleased and the lug -9 will overbalance the pin to rotate the same intoa position in which said lugs 8, 9 will block withdrawal of the pin, forinstance, as shown in Figure 6.

An endless chain'conveyor, or drag line, is provided in the frame Iincluding a pair of sprocket wheels H), H fast on a pair of transverseshafts l2, l3. One shaft, l2 as shown, is suitably journaled at its endsin the front ends of the pair of bars 2 terminating at the discharge endof the apparatus, said shaft extending outwardly of said bars. The othershaft l3, as shown in Figure 3, isjournaled at its ends in bushings I4slidably mounted in elongated, longitudinally slotted, extension guidesl5 bolted, as at Hi, to the outer ends of the rear end pair of bars 4.Shoulders l! on said bushings I4 on one side of said guides l5, and nutsl8 on said bushings on the other side of said guides provide forslidably adjusting said bushings in said guide into different setpositions to tighten a sprocket chain l9 trained around said sprocketwheels l0, II in the longitudinal center of the frame I and providedwith suitable, rectangular pusher blades 20 centered thereon andextendin edgewise therefrom. The pusher blades 20 are provided with acenter crosspiece 2|, respectively, preferably formed integrallytherewith and spanning the outer edges of opposed pairs of links 22 ofsaid chain [9 with screws 23 extending through the cross-piece into saidlinks.

A motor 24 conventionally shown, and which may be of any suitable type,is suitably mounted at the discharge end of the apparatus on top of apair of skeleton brackets 25 extending across the pair of bars 2 andupstanding therefrom. The brackets 25 are secured, as by bolts 26, on aplatform 21 extending across said bars 2 and suitably secured to thebars 2 on top thereof, the arrangement being such that the chain l9 andblades 20 run over said platform and under the same, and through saidbrackets 25. A pulley 28 on the armature shaft 29 of the motor 24 isconnected by 3 a belt 30 to a larger pulley 3| fast on one extending endof the shaft I2.

Adjacent the front, discharge end of the apparatus, is a pair ofsuitable ground wheels 32 independently mounted at opposite sides of theframe I for swinging longitudinally of said frame to raise or lower saidends of said frame and to tilt the same sidewise. The independentmountings for said wheels 32 comprise, in each instance, an uprightfork-forming bar 33 on the inboard side of the wheels having its upperend pivoted on a lateral stud 34 extending outwardly from the adjacentbar 2, the pivoted end of the bar 33 being fitted in a guide notch 35 ina bearing block 36 on said bar 2. An upright, hand lever 31 pivotedintermediate its ends on said stud 34 on the outboard side of the wheels32 complements said bar 33 in formingthe wheel fork. A stub axle 38, foreach wheel 32 is suitably fixed in the lower ends of each bar 33 andlever 31. By swinging the upper end of the hand levers 31, the describedwheel forks may be swung on the studs 34 to adjust the wheels 32forwardly or rearwardly and thereby adjust the height of the frame I,and the described drag line from the ground or other base. For lockingthe wheels 32 in different adjusted positions, sector-shaped detent bars39 are provided between the Wheels 32 and one side of the describedwheel forks to depend from the bars 2, concentrically of the studs 34,with right angled ends 40 suitably fixed in said bars 2 and connectedbetween said bars 2 by cross rods H. The detent bars 39 are formed withkeyhole-shaped apertures 42 therein with which a similar aperture 43 inthe lower end of each lever 37 is designed to register in differentadjusted positions of the wheels 32. The apertures 42, 33 are the sameas the apertures 6 and are designed to receive locking pins fi l similarto pins 7 to lock the levers 31 to said detent bars 39 in differentangular positions.

A yoke-like handle-forming ball 45 is suitably fixed at its ends on theshaft I3 in upright position to straddle the pair of guides I and saidguides are provided with downwardly curving rests 46 for supporting therear end of the frame I so that the blades 20 will clear the ground, orother base, at said rear end of the frame.

The described apparatus is designed to be pushed, or pulled, by the ball45 into a pile, not shown, of material to be loaded, and the motor 24then started to drive the chain I9 so that the lower run thereof, withthe blades 20 hanging pendent therefrom, travels toward the front,discharge end of the apparatus. The ground wheels 32 are then adjusted,in the manner described, so that the blades 20 on the lower run of thechain I9 are lowered into the material. When thus lowered said blades 20on the lower run of the chain I9 push the material in front of the sameso as to load the material into a vehicle or other conveyance. Byadjusting the wheels 32, in the manner described, the frame I maybe1ower-ed, or elevated, or leveled, with the'rests 46 supporting saidframe I at its rear end, to position said frame in accordance withrequirements. The frame I may be lengthened, or shortened, to suitrequirements in the manner already described, it

being understood that links 22 ar added, or removed, from the chain I9to alter its length according to whether said frame I has beenlengthened or shortened. The apparatus may be easily and convenientlymoved from place to place on the wheels 32, using the ball 45 as ahandle in pushing or pulling the apparatus.

The foregoing will, it is believed, sufiice to impart a clearunderstanding of my invention without further explanation.

Manifestly, the invention, as described, is susceptible of modificationas regards structural details, and combinations of parts, withoutdeparting from the inventive concept, and right is herein reserved tosuch modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In apparatus of the class described, an elongated frame embodyingsides, a drag line conveyor in said frame extending lengthwise thereof,a motor drive for said conveyor including a motor mounted on one end ofthe frame, a pair of ground wheels adjacent said end of the frame atopposite sides thereof, independent mountings for said wheels swingableon the frame into different angular positions to vary the height of theframe from the ground and to level said frame laterally, and detentmeans for each mounting for holding the same in said differentpositions, said means comprising arcuate detent bars depending from saidsides of the frame concentrically of the axes of swinging movement ofsaid mountings, hand levers pivoted to said sides of the frame to beswung alongside said bars and operatively connected to said mountings toswing the same, and means to lock said levers to said bars in thedifferent angular positions of said mountings.

2. In apparatus of the class described, an elongated frame embodyingsides, a drag line conveyor in said frame extending lengthwise thereofand embodying a lower run having pusher blades depending therefrom,downwardly curved rests on said sides at one end of the frame forsupporting said end in material to be conveyed at a level such that saidblades at said end of the frame are lowered into the material, a pair ofside wheels at the other end of the frame swingably adjustablelengthwise of the frame to lower said other end substantially level withthe end first mentioned and thereby lower all of the pusher blades onsaid lower run into the material, and means for driving said conveyor.

LOTEN FLOYD ARNETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 60,025 Marshall et a1 Nov. 27,1866 148,955 Howe Mar. 24, 1874 289,734 Welch Dec. 4, 1883 721,571Kramer Feb. 2%, 1903 1,520,332 Connolly Dec. 23, 1924, 1,573,186 Nystromet al Feb. 16, 1926 1,989,537 Wentz Jan. 29, 1935 2,334,304 Arnett et a1Nov. 16, 1943

